Review: Fuse by Julianna Baggott PERFECT!

Title: Fuse (Pure #2)
Author: Julianna Baggott
Publication: February 19th 2013 by Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Dystopia, Fantasy
Source: Owned

We want our son returned. This girl is proof that we can save you all. If you ignore our plea, we will kill our hostages one at a time.

To be a Pure is to be perfect, untouched by Detonations that scarred the earth and sheltered inside the paradise that is the Dome. But Partridge escaped to the outside world, where Wretches struggle to survive amid smoke and ash. Now, at the command of Partridge’s father, the Dome is unleashing nightmare after nightmare upon the Wretches in an effort to get him back.

At Partridge’s side is a small band of those united against the Dome: Lyda, the warrior; Bradwell, the revolutionary; El Capitan, the guard; and Pressia, the young woman whose mysterious past ties her to Partridge in way she never could have imagined. Long ago a plan was hatched that could mean the earth’s ultimate doom. Now only Partridge and Pressia can set things right.

To save millions of innocent lives, Partridge must risk his own by returning to the Dome and facing his most terrifying challenge. And Pressia, armed only with a mysterious Black Box, containing a set of cryptic clues, must travel to the very ends of the earth, to a place where no map can guide her. If they succeed, the world will be saved. But should they fail, humankind will pay a terrible price...

-- My Rating --

5/5 Oscars: Loved it

-- My Thoughts --

     This is becoming one of my favorite series, ever. I didn't know I was missing out on so much when I heard about the Pure Trilogy. I received the third book as an ARC for review, so I had to read the second one to get to it.
    Pressia is separated from Partridge. Pressia is searching for the truth, the truth about the secrets hidden by the Dome and the truth about the wretches and her people's fusings. While Partridge is with Lyda, and trying to figure out whether to get back to the dome and fight his father, once and for all.
     This book is pure, unaltered perfection. I have always had this idea that nothing is perfect, but this comes so close to being perfect, it nails it. The world-building is even more advanced than the first book. World-buildings are actually quite hard in the 2nd and 3rd books because authors have already built a complicated world by then, so what's more to add? But Julianna Baggott has a lot more in store for us and she surprised me with her vivid imagination through every single page.
     The plot is swift and fast-moving and there is no dull moment to be seen. There's so much at stake and you can feel the tension and the suspense building up. There is even more complicated alliances to behold but it's never too much or too hard to understand.
     The characters are more fleshed-out in this sequel. They are separated into two groups so it is really efficient for the author to keep chapters from different points of view, so that the reader can know what's going on as a whole. Then there are the characters themselves. I cannot believe that I can love them even more than I already do. Pressia and Lyda have proven to be perfect leading ladies in this series. I truly appreciate how the author didn't make them the stereotypical image of damsels in distress. No, they are strong women who can stand on their own.
    Then there's my favorite character, El Capitan. He always brings joy to the series, and I was so so happy that he finally got to fall in love, even though it is unrequited love. The romance in this sequel stands out more and it's more reckless, with the threat of death looming around them. I loved that about it.
     The ending froze my nerves and made me BEG for the third book. And how lucky I am. Because I'm reading it while writing this review. So, put your hopes up because this book is one PERFECT masterpiece for every fan of every genre out there!

ARC Review: Queen of Hearts: The Crown by Colleen Oakes

Title: Queen of Hearts (Volume One: The Crown)
Author: Colleen Oakes
Publication: February 14th 2014 by SparkPress
Genre: YA Fantasy
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...

Not every fairytale has a happy ending.
This is the story of a princess who became a villain.
***
A Father’s Betrayal. A Kingdom with a Black Secret. A Princess Slowly Unraveling. 

As Princess of Wonderland Palace and the future Queen of Hearts, Dinah’s days are an endless monotony of tea, tarts, and a stream of vicious humiliations at the hands of her father, the King of Hearts. The only highlight of her days is visiting Wardley, her childhood best friend, the future Knave of Hearts — and the love of her life.

When an enchanting stranger arrives at the Palace, Dinah watches as everything she’s ever wanted threatens to crumble. As her coronation date approaches, a series of suspicious and bloody events suggests that something sinister stirs in the whimsical halls of Wonderland. It’s up to Dinah to unravel the mysteries that lurk both inside and under the Palace before she loses her own head to a clever and faceless foe.

Part epic fantasy, part twisted fairy tale, this dazzling saga will have readers shivering as Dinahs furious nature sweeps Wonderland up in the maelstrom of her wrath. 

Familiar characters such as Cheshire, the White Rabbit, and the Mad Hatter make their appearance, enchanting readers with this new, dark take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

-- My Rating --

3/5 Oscars: Liked it

-- My Thoughts --

     I am a HUGE fan of Alice in Wonderland. i have watched the animation in my childhood, and read the book a year ago. It's quite fun and one extraordinary masterpiece of children's literature. I was quite excited when I read that this book is based on that story, and I read it on that assumption alone. It did not quite disappoint.
     Dinah will be the future queen of hearts, but she has to endure her father, the King of Hearts torturous hatred of her for a while, and her visits to her best friend and the guy she is in love with, Warley. But everything changes when her father announces Dina's half-sister that she never knew existed, Vittiore and nothing in the kingdom will ever be the same.
     I went into this book expecting it to be a lot like Alice in Wonderland. But there is no Alice her. We have Dinah, who is going to be the future Queen of Hearts. It is really refreshing to look at the story in Wonderland from someone in the heart family. I LOVED the references to the Alice in Wonderland. We have Dinah's brother, the Mad Hatter, whom I loved. We have the Cheshire, but not as a cat. And we have the Cards working for the king! It all reminded me why i loved this fairy tale so much and always will.
     The only thing that bothered me in this book was the slow-moving plot. It was too slow for my taste and nothing would happen for a very long time then BAM, something huge happens and you are left wondering how you didn't work it out. But the plot was quite predictable except for those little patches of surprise!
     The romance in this book is quite non-existent. You are left to wonder whether Dinah's love for Warley is unrequited love or not. but i am hoping that the author would add more romance to this story in the next books. What's a fairy tale without its romantic couple? If you are a fan of Alice in Wonderland,  then you will definitely like this book. If you are not, you can still check it out and tell me what you think later!

ARC Review: The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry: Releasing TOMORROW!

Title: The Summer I Found You
Author: Jolene Perry
Publication: March 1st 2014 by Albert Whitman Teen
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...
Goodreads

All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction.

Kate's dream boyfriend has just broken up with her and she's still reeling from her diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Aidan planned on being a lifer in the army and went to Afghanistan straight out of high school. Now he's a disabled young veteran struggling to embrace his new life. When Kate and Aidan find each other neither one wants to get attached. But could they be right for each other after all?

-- My Rating --

3/5 Oscars: liked it.

-- My Thoughts --

     This author is totally new to me. I haven't heard anything about her or her book so I was very excited to know if the book would fulfill my expectations and prove itself. it totally did.
     Kate has been through a lot in her life. She has discovered that she has diabetes. And then, her sweet boyfriend dumps her. She's scarred but so is Aidan. Aidan loved his job as a soldier but now he's a retired veteran at such a young age with only one arm. These two people are polar opposites but they just might be each other's safe haven.
     I loved the author's writing style. She perfectly voiced both characters, even though they're much too different from each other but she kept two distinct personalities throughout the whole book. That takes talent. And the plot is really just a simple story but she pimped it up, adding tension and back-story.
     The characters, the main ones are broken and even if they want to, they can't trust each other easily. I felt both Kate and Aidan's fears and insecurities and I fell for them both. This book had only one flow, and that was its slow-moving plot. It wasn't like that all the time, but sometimes, it really was slow and i found myself just dozing off for a while or leaving it to do something else.

     The ending was perfect. That's it. Nothing was left out and no loose ends were seen. It gave a hopeful future without giving too much of the imagination away. I loved that. I wasn't surprised when I saw tears pooling in my eyes after I finished it. It is really an amazing read for all hopeful romantics out there in the world. This is a thought-provoking and sometimes intense read. It proves that our feelings are what truly cripple us not our bodies. 

Review: Pure by Julianna Baggott

Title: Pure (Pure #1)
Author: Julianna Baggott
Publication: February 8th 2012 by Grand Central Publishing
Genre: YA Dystopian
Source: Owned

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . . 
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . . 
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her. 

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

-- My Rating --

5/5 Oscars: Loved it

-- My Thoughts --

     This is one of the most well-known books in the dystopian genre, as a whole. It is a national bestseller, if I am not wrong and I have been hearing constantly about it for two years. I just never had the time to read, or when i had the time, another book had the priority. Right now, I wish I had read it sooner.
     Pressia Belze is a Wretch. She lives in the land outside the Dome with her grandfather. She doesn't remember much of her childhood, but she knows the big explosion left her with a doll-head instead of a hand and her mother dead. Partridge is a Pure. He lives inside the Dome and there's physically nothing wrong with him and he's supposed to take his father's place in the future. But Partridge knows the secrets inside the Dome are sinister and that he has to venture outside to find out the truth, once and for all.
     World-building is one of the strongest suits of this book. Julianna Baggott has a vivid imagination that she perfectly phrases into words. She has created a truly new world within her head and on paper, a world that you cannot escape from. Her imagery is so vivid that you feel like you are there, with the characters, at all times.
     This plot was just epic. I don't really know how the author came up with the idea of Wretches and Pures, but it was amazing! All these little details that added up, and the huge explosion that ended the world as we knew it. All the characters with their impurities. A doll-head as a fist? A fan stuck in the throat for breathing? Birds fixed to the back of a guy? Words burned into a person's face? This plot was full of these deliciously creepy moments that I adored.
     I cannot begin to describe how the characters are. I fell in love with all, every single one of them. We have different chapters from different POVs. There's Pressia, our main character, which I truly absolutely LOVED. This girl is so tough, so real, it was beautiful to watch her grow through the course of this book. Then there's Partridge, our sweet innocent boy who gets thrown into a cruel world, he was annoying sometimes, but I still loved him, his loyalty. Bradwell and Lyda take appearances too. But my most favorite character is definitely El Capitan. He acts like he is much older than he actually is, and he acts cruel. but he has a heart of gold and I fell in love with everything he said, every single word.
     The romance is not the center on the stage in this book, but it does make an appearance. There's Partridge and Lyda and they make a cute couple, but you don't see much of them in this book. Then, there's Pressia and Bradwell, they have a lot of difficulties and nothing major has happened yet. And I am waiting for El Capitan to fall in love, too. With whom, I do not yet know.
    If you haven't already started this series, what the hell are you waiting for? This is one of the greatest masterpieces in YA literature, and the whole dystopian genre. I know that everyone will love it, you just have to.

Review: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Eleanor and Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publication: February 26th 2013 by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Contemporary
Source: Owned

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.



-- My Rating --

5/5 Oscars: Loved it...

-- My Thoughts --

     This book was getting a lot of buzz from the blogging world last year and when it won the Goodreads Choice Awards, I knew it was special, but I didn't really  know what it was about, so I was pleasantly surprised and i LOVED every moment of it.
    Eleanor is the new kid with the chubby body and the bright red hair. Park is the quiet guy with the Korean looks and love of comic-books. These two are just so different from each other, but together, they find their missing pieces and they remind you the beauty of your first love.
     Okay, so I didn't know this book was set in the 80s, but that didn't bother me at all. Actually, it was extremely refreshing and wonderful reading something from that decade. I loved the references to the music and Eleanor's love of the Beatles. the whole no-cell-phone thing was also amusing, since I really can't forget the time before we had cellphones. It was like, we didn't really care but now that we have them, we can't digest the idea of not having them.
     Rainbow Rowell is definitely a talented author. Especially in character building. Eleanor and Park are both totally unique and they feel so real. They are two distinct personalities and the author was able to keep the personalities throughout the whole book. She makes you fall in love with both of them. Feel for all they have been through or are going through. It is a truly emotional read that almost made me cry a couple of times.
     The romance is at its peak. It is the main point in this story. Eleanor and Park are each others' first love, and it's beautiful. It was amazing watching their feelings unfold. Reading their feelings. It almost felt like the author ripped these feelings right from my own heart, it felt so real and so true. They go through a lot of obstacles in this book but that never stops them from loving each other. The ending was perfect. I didn't expect it to end that way, but I was not disappointed. And the last few lines were amazing.

     This book will touch you to the core. it will remind you of YOUR own first love. Of how hard and how reckless it was. But it will also remind you of its beauty, its sweetness, the reasons why you'll never forget the person you first fell in love with.